


The worlds inside

by MustardPirate



Series: The world after he's gone [2]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Weird like life normally is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 16:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11763504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MustardPirate/pseuds/MustardPirate
Summary: This is just a day among others. But if we only have this day, it's special.





	The worlds inside

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Metronome_I_Hear](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metronome_I_Hear/gifts).



From the edge of the cliff, he looks down. The sunset paints his white hair red.

"I didn't know you liked windy places" a tender voice behind him says.

"Me either, but this seems...  _warm"_ His raspy voice makes him flinch.

The person behind him sits beside him. The wind blows and moves the persons white skirt, revealing pink shoes underneath.

"I know you" 

"Yes, you do" The tender voice is more aggressive than before.

Purple strands of hair flow to the fair-haired boy's face and makes him blow them out. He turns, but purple hair is gone. He looks around, there's only tall grass and flowers behind him. He looks forward and continues watching the sunset.

 

* * *

 

 

"You must be kidding me right now!" Hide's face turns red and his breath shortens as he runs. He takes a sharp turn to the left and almost get's hit by a bike. He runs past hundreds of people, only trying to not get slowed down. 

"This is an emergency! I don't have time for this!" He yells frantically, only to make few heads turn but quickly turn their gazes back to what they were doing. His sneakers stomp against the cement under his feet and stop for the light to turn green. He catches his breath and tries to calm down his breathing. 

"Why does it take so long to this to turn green!" He yells with his short breath. His face makes an expression that could only be caused by something very painful. He desperately tries to hold his tears from falling and he digs his pockets for some napkins. 

"Here you go, young lad" an old lady beside him takes few napkins of her purse and hands them to him.

His voice breaks out as he tries to mutter a 'thank you' to the lady. He blows his nose and tries to smile to the lady. The tear glands won't give up and he rubs his eyes, and only after he's completely sure that there won't be any more tears coming out, he puts the napkin to his pocket. Most likely he will need them soon.

The light turns green, a hurried black car drives past them, almost hitting the first people crossing. Few profanities were shouted to the driver, but after that everyone else got back to their lives, except Hide. 

 

* * *

 

"That is a majestic creature" Some old grandpa next to him says. 

"You think so? I don't think that they are majestic at all" The boy's innocent eyes look up to the grandpa.

"Why do you think so, they're kings of all the beasts" 

"A caged lion is no better than a dog, enslaved by people, taking orders from them. True king is free and able to make his own rules"

"Young boy like you... " The grandpa wonders but doesn't end the sentence.

"The humans are kind of similar. Instead of being the kings, we can adapt and by doing so, we become the kings, not true kings, but able to rule everything, to change everything we want."

The grandpa tilts his head and makes a 'I guess so' face. 

"But humans... even though we are free, some of us aren't"

"What do you mean?"

"Some lock themselves in a cage inside their minds, making them unable to see any further than the iron bars."

"Hmm... what kind of people might tend to do this?"

"There's no specific group of people, it's everyone. But part of this is also proving theories; some people tend to only look at the facts that prove that the theory's right, and ignoring the facts that are against the theory. To make an example of this, the first one to come to mind is religious group or groups"

"Why do you think so? What if they have pictures and stories about them?"

"Stories can be told without any facts in them, pictures can be altered, but I don't think it really matters if someone really proves there is no god"

"I think it matters"

"Because people will still believe, they will stick blindly to their beliefs and try to prove others that only their beliefs are true. But religion is a funny thing -it can help people, it's not about there really being something, people only need guidance to lead their thoughts on the right track. I think religions are good in one way, but every war fought for one's belief is wrong. It's a double-edged sword."

"Did someone tell you that because someone at your age... you must be eleven or something?" 

"Age doesn't make people smarter, it's knowledge that makes them smarter. No one told me these things directly, I picked them up between the rows of hundreds and hundreds of books. And yes, I am turning eleven this year."

"Smart kid. Say, where are your parents?"

"My aunt is in the cafeteria, she told me to go look at the animals" 

'"Do you want to go see even more animals? I heard that the tour guides come around this time to this place, it becomes so noisy when the 2nd graders come here"

"Yes, I recommend owls, they're really interesting."

"I also like owls" The grandpa says and ruffles the boy's black, short hair. 

 

* * *

 

'Please say it was just a joke, please' Hide thought to himself. The tall building's reflective glass shows his reflection who was running, sweaty and in panic. The clouds and bright blue sky mock his misfortune. 'Really, seriously? why do I have to go through something like this, at this age, I'm only seventeen!' Hide thinks, but doesn't say anything, he doesn't have any air left to yell to the world, he just wants to see him.

 

* * *

 

"You can do better!" a ghoul says to Kaneki from the distance. It's not a familiar voice. Kaneki grunts at her and clearly shows with his facial muscles how disgusted he feels about her. 

"Fuck you too!" The ghoul says with a laugh and flips the bird to Kaneki.

"You can't do that if you're dead" Kaneki says calmly under breath -not to her, but to the other ghouls hiding in the shadows.

A ghoul with his kagune growing to cover his arm, a blade, tries to retreat. 

Kaneki's kagune grows out in seconds, the webs formed intertwine with each other, creating a tough skin at first and then forming a spike at the end. The red color makes it look like it has been dipped in blood. He jumps up, the almost-empty building has a lot of unused space, it should help make things fast.

First his kagune pierces through that guy's stomach that tried to retreat. When he pulls the spike out, another enemy tries to attack from behind, the brain goo splashes around, the eyeballs fall onto the ground with the rest of the body, the open skull still hanging from the spike. Kaneki shakes it off and starts attacking another one. One arm gone, another's kagune and also someone's heart. The guts of someone decorate the walls like Christmas lights.

 

* * *

 

"Gotta keep calm, gotta keep calm" Hide repeats himself over and over again. He gets on to the nearest train. His body cannot rest so he shifts from one foot to another when he waits for the train to stop. He hears music, he looks at the passenger standing next to him. 'Must be the latest playlist playing' he thinks as he watches the neon green headphones. The passenger has a black hoodie and screaming short pink hair and hipster glasses. Hide turns his gaze away and sees every passenger staring at their phones, no one lifts their face.

Hide starts watching the passing scenery. The ocean, dark ocean on the right, tall office buildings, motels and shops on the left. Sun shines from the right but occasionally the reflective glass on the building reflect the sunlight so it blinds Hide's eyes. From the South-West direction comes many dark clouds, it might rain soon. He didn't even bring an umbrella.

 

* * *

 

It is Christmas Eve. The cold apartment is almost empty apart from the six-year-old Kaneki. The television is on but it's mute. It's dark outside and the snowflakes build up on the window ledge. The late Christmas choir sings to the neighbors in the distance. A cartoon plays on, the characters do funny things that should make any child laugh but Kaneki doesn't laugh. He just stares at the television, sitting on the cold floor two meters away. 

Then he decides that that's enough. He gets up and lights up the floor lamp and shuts the TV. There's an old book on the coffee table. One of Dad's books. He looks at it for a while without doing anything. Then he touches it, the covers of the book are worn out around the edges. The name of the book is carved on to the book cover. He runs his small finger across the carvings. 'Birds' it says and also something else that Kaneki can't read. 

He sits on to the soft armchair. 'Dad used to read on this, read to  _me_ in this armchair' he thinks and places the big book on to his small lap. He turns the pages, even the sound they make are calming, the sensations that remind him of his Dad are always calming and relaxing. 

He tries to read, some words are easier than the others. He doesn't care if he can't read it perfectly, just holding the book makes the loneliness go away.

 

* * *

 

 

"Come on,  _come on!"_  Hide says as he sprints in the rain. 

"I should've brought an umbrella with me!" He yells and tries to keep his hood up. His sneakers have become wet and the road under him has become darker from the rain. The squelch of the sneakers alongside with the sound of heavy rain. Only a few people dare to fight against mother nature but Hide doesn't give up, he keeps fighting.

His hoodie is completely soaked and slowly the coldness crawls up to him. He passes a construction site, the pits on the ground are now filled with water, builders are on halt, most likely in the nearest cafe eating donuts and drinking coffee.

"Just few more kilometers!" He says to motivate himself but the drizzle of the rain on his face tries to demotivate him. It's cold. It's dark. No dogs are barking, no birds are chirping. 

"Almost there" 

"Can't give up now" 

He sprints as his feet turn into heavy weights that he has to drag behind him. His lungs are burning hot, inhaling burns, exhaling hurts. 

"I need to see him"

"I won't give up, he needs me" 

Some of the dribbles on his face feel warm, most likely his tears but no one can tell the difference except him.

"Please be okay"

"I can't live without you"

 

* * *

 

 A cafe. Warm cafe where the girl works. The name Kaneki can't somehow remember. Then there's the manager, the one who makes the best coffee. The bitter taste of coffee, the books on his hands in the backroom. Then there was one person...

"Looking for me?"

Kaneki nods. He sees him, that's the one. But the name...

"-is my name" The blond hair says.

"What? say that again"

"- -! don't you even remember your best friend's name?"

"I... don't."

 

* * *

 

 

Finally he got in, just in time. The staff members give Hide a weird look. One offers a blanket, 'no thank you, I'm fine' he says. He's not. 

He goes to the room where his best friend is kept. The heavy door opens. 

 _There he is_ _._

"Kaneki!" the voice breaks, he partially whispers and partially shouts. 

No reaction, he just lays on the bed, partially covered in dry blood. 

That's not yours, that's not why you're here. 

"Hey, buddy, hey... hey, wake up...?" Hide goes closer and takes Kaneki's hand. Cold and almost lifeless. 

"Hey, you gotta wake up! I came as soon as I could" Hide's tears hit Kaneki's sleeping face, the warm tears then rolled off to the bed sheets.

"It's me, your best friend, Hide, Hi-de-yo-shi."

 

* * *

 

 

 Now there is only sound, he is surrounded by darkness. Someone is talking. There is something warm and wet on his face. He can't move, it feels calm to be this way. 

"I know tha-  -  -  -  -  - for me to k-  -  - I am still - - -iend"

"It's calm this way, leave me alone" he wants to say but keeps quiet because there's no one to talk to.

 

* * *

 

 

"There's still so much we need to talk about, like, for example, how am I supposed to live if you are like this, you need to wake up" Hide repeats hopelessly. He looks much older than he should.

"I... I got a call from a doctor, saying that I was the only person on your contact list he was able to reach and that my best friend was found under a bridge, covered in blood and his mouth foaming."

He stops to take his breath. Then he continues more calmly.

"They said that they tried to clean you but you were struggling and moving around too much, they had to put you some sedative"

He looks at Kaneki's hands and rubs the back of Kaneki's hand with a thumb. 

"They didn't find any wounds or cuts on you, _of course"_

 _"and they suspect you killed somebody"_ he is thinking of adding but ends up being quiet.

"You weren't even conscious, your body just reacted... how scary it would have been if you were to do  _that_ " He explains, maybe more to himself than to Kaneki.

 

* * *

 

"I want to be able to reach him"

"Do you?"

"Yes"

"Then do you remember my name?"

"....de...?"

"That's a part of it, do you remember the rest?"

"No, just that"

"I'm afraid I can't let you go before you do"

"But I need to tell him..!"

"You don't need to explain anything to him..." the voice was his, the best friend's

but at the same time it wasn't his.

"You're not him!"

"Great observation! Sure, I'm not him, what am I, then?"

"Part of my imagination?"

"E~h.. WRONG!"

"Fro-.. ..from.. ...memory...?"

"Hmm... mhm... e~eh, kinda?"

"So, what are you?"

"You, and that, my friend, is what we call insanity"

"No, I'm not insane, you're not part of me"

"I am if I say I am"

"No, stop"

"Make me"

"-"

"-"

It became quiet.

The voice didn't answer.

It was just his imagination.

Imagination.

IMAGINATION.

Not insane...

not...

..insane.

 

* * *

 

 

The nurse came to the room to give Hide some coffee. 

"You look like you had just been awake for two days straight, here, take some coffee"

"Thanks"

"Do you need anything else? A blanket maybe?"

"That would be appreciated, thanks"

"Okay, be well" The nurse said as she left the room. 

The bags under Hide's eyes started to pile up. The bright light somehow makes him even sleepier. 

 

* * *

 

"Can I go now?"

"Hey, can I go now?"

Silence.

"Hey, answer me!"

Some grunts and a voice answers:

"Honestly I thought that I could make you insane by not answering

but I guess your yelling makes ME insane, not you"

"Please, wake me up" 

"No, do it yourself"

"I can't"

"You can"

 

* * *

 

 

Hide's face was pressed against Kaneki's bed. A blanket was put on Hide.

"Thanks" Hide let out a whisper. 

"...anks..." 

Hide jumps up from his chair. 

"KANEKI!?" 

"...de"

"Yes, it's me, Hide!"

Kaneki's eyes opened slowly. 

"I'm so glad!"

"...Hide?" a terror spread on Kaneki's face. 

"Yes" 

"No..."

"...no?"

"No, you can't be here... it-"

"Not possible? Guess again!"

"But..? How...?"

"Somehow... I can't really explain. But I'm here, that's what matters"

They looked at each others worn out faces, still wondering how did this happen.

"Can we talk to each other more now?" Hide averts his eyes.

"...yes"

 

* * *

 

 

They got out. Kaneki's arm is around Hide's neck, Hide supporting Kaneki's whole weigh. 

"I honestly thought you would become a little lighter but I guess I was wrong"

Kaneki chuckles a little and continues looking forward. 

"The streets seem a little... gray and dark"

"It's because of the rain"

"Still"

"Well, normally life is gray, everything is colorless unless you know it's the last day of your life"

"But dreams are usually colorful"

"Did you see some dreams while you were sleeping?"

"...I don't remember"

"Liar"

"No, real- ... well, I'm not gonna even argue with you"

Hide gives him a little smile even though Kaneki can't see his face.

"Say, does this feel like the last day of your life?" Kaneki started. Hide waited for him to continue but he didn't.

"..well, apart from thinking you almost got caught by the police and maybe even killed, I think I'm still gonna live another day"

Their quiet steps continue.

"You know, I searched for you, everywhere. Every news concerning ghouls,  _anything_ that could be related to you, I looked up, but this time, I heard where you are"

"-and you ran to me because you thought I would run away from you"

"I know you, you would"

Kaneki keeps quiet. 

"You know, I tried living without you. It was... painful and boring at the same time, like if somebody were to poke some needles into me but they would do it so slowly that I wouldn't even feel a thing except slight discomfort and just knowing that something was horribly off. "

"...your point?"

"I can't live without you, I need my _best friend_ , Kaneki. I  _need_ you"

"Hmph..." 

The trees surrounding them look ominous, they are in a forest, far from the city.

Then Hide stops and looks at Kaneki.

"Look, I know you might think that I'm a burden to you but I can help, I don't want to search the news just to find that my best friend has died and I wasn't there, _you need to understand_ "

Kaneki looks at him without batting an eye.

"So you don't mind me being a _ghoul_?"

"NO! Not at all!" Hide clutches Kaneki's hand "you're my _friend_ "

Kaneki gives him a smile, a sweet, gentle smile of gratitude.

"Thank y-"

_**BOOM!!** _

A gun shot and now there was a hole between Hide's eyes.

 **Thud.** Hide's lifeless body lays on the ground. Kaneki on his knees, a bullet stuck in his forehead. 

He just stares blankly ahead of him, trying to progress what had just happened.

_Then he understands._

" **WHO DID THIS?"** His roars and it echoes in the forest. 

His kakuja mask covers his face as he clenches to the corpse that gets colder and colder by the second as the organs stop working.

Hide's eyes look to the sky, Kaneki's turn black and red.

A kagune forms on his back,   _-two, actually._  

Ukaku grows out from his shoulder area. Two bloody red wings grow out while a rinkaku, sharp claws form from his lower back. 

Kaneki gets up and looks around. 

" **YOU!** " He shouts loudly and points with one of his claws while keeping Hide in his arms. 

He charges to the shooter's direction and attacks.

There was only one. 

**Only one.**

**-**

_**"...This is not enough"**  _

 

**Author's Note:**

> I was reading the comments on my other work and I saw a great comment that inspired me to write this fic(thank you for your comment). Honestly I wasn't planning on doing this but things happen. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> And I'm also sorry for my habits of making a plot twist. ヽ(´ー｀)ﾉ
> 
> And I also want to mention the one who gave me the inspiration,  
> Metronome_I_Hear,  
> Thank you, again :) (/◕ヮ◕)/


End file.
